The plane ride back to Los Angeles will be much more enjoyable after the Kings picked up a much-deserved two points on Thursday night by defeating the Canucks 5-1.
LA played what was probably their most complete 60-minutes of the season. While they didn’t put many shots on net through two periods, their forecheck was very aggressive and they prevented the Canucks from having dangerous opportunities.
It was a style of play that coach Jim Hiller’s squad was able to maintain throughout the final frame. Even as a goal from Brock Boeser (15G in 17 career games vs. LA) momentarily cut LA’s lead to 2-1, the Kings responded by lighting the lamp three more times.
Thursday’s win against Vancouver was the lone bright spot during LA’s Western Canada swing. Although they would like to forget about the opening two games, beating the division leader in their barn is just what the doctor ordered. The Canucks came into the game having lost the fewest number of games on home ice in the NHL.
Now, the Kings return to Crypto.com Arena for a five-game homestand beginning Sunday vs. Tyler Toffoli and the New Jersey Devils.
Trust in Turcotte: With Adrian Kempe out of the lineup again on Thursday (update here), Alex Turcotte played on LA’s top line. Turcotte spent the third period of Tuesday’s contest on this unit, but this was the first time he’s started on the first line at the NHL level. His 12:40 TOI against the Canucks was his second highest of the season and shows the level of confidence Hiller has in the young forward.
Doughty Reaches 500 Assists: Drew Doughty’s assist on longtime teammate Anže Kopitar’s goal was the 500th of his career; becoming the first defenseman in Kings history to reach the milestone. Doughty – who also scored the opening goal on Thursday – has had a resurgent season offensively, and his 500th assist is just another impressive mark on his Hall-of-Fame resume.
Drew talks with @CarrlynBathe about assist number@LAKings I #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/vClKWMbNzu
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) March 1, 2024
11/7: Arthur Kaliyev was a healthy scratch in Vancouver, which allowed Brandt Clarke to return to the lineup. This meant that the Kings lined up against the Canucks with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. This configuration is something the Kings have rarely utilized in recent memory. It will be interesting to see if Hiller sticks with this lineup after a win or if he’ll continue to shake things up; which has been the theme so far in his brief tenure as head coach.
Stat Sheet Takeaways: Five different Kings had multi-point efforts against the Canucks. LA is at their best when they’re able to generate offense up-and-down the lineup, and that was certainly the case on Thursday.
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